Stacy Phillips’ has a long list.

For over a decade, Phillips and her late husband were parents to 73 foster children. They learned the hard way the stipend – which at most is $64.61 per day for crisis care – was never enough to cover the needs of the kids.

She can rattle off a list of out of pocket expenses – dance classes, summer camp, therapeutic sensory swings and weighted blankets. 

That’s only the start. 

New Hampshire is one of few states in the country that continues to keep social security and disability benefits for eligible foster children, justifying the practice as a means to cover the costs for the child’s care.

But foster parents like Phillips – who adopted a daughter eligible for these benefits – don’t see additional funds that are intended to support the child’s well being. Instead, the state is the recipient of the money.

“We tried to reclaim some of her childhood with camping, summer camp, and dance class. All these things came out of pocket,” she testified before the House Children and Family Law committee this week. “All the things to help these foster kids feel normal were not even remotely covered by the stipend given for foster parents.”

Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, a Concord Democrat, is trying to end this practice with a bill that would require the state to send all eligible social security funds for the child to a designated payee.

Despite overwhelming support for House Bill 661 – with dozens of agencies and nonprofits testifying in support in an hour-long hearing – the Division of Children, Youth and Families said they supported the idea in theory but it does not have the budgeted funds to take on the cost.

“DCYF certainly does agree with wanting kids and families to have all the benefits, all the resources available to them, certainly as they unify and certainly as they prepare for adulthood,” said Marie Noonan, the agency director. “But I do want to note that it is not included in DCYF agency budget to be able to absorb the costs.”

A small sliver of the state’s 1,500 foster kids are eligible to receive Social Security or disability benefits. They must qualify for disability themselves or their biological parent must be disabled or deceased.

A report from Public Consultant Group – which the legislature funded last session to study the cost and implementation of returning benefits – estimates that roughly 290 children are eligible for benefits, which would cost the state $6.1 million over the next two years.

The current proposed biennial budget from the state agency is $437.7 million.

Rep. Debra DeSimone, an Atkinson Republican, said she sees the situation clearly. By pocketing the earned social security, New Hampshire makes the state’s neediest foster kids pay for their own care.

For children who are not eligible for these benefits, a combination of Medicaid and federal dollars can help offset general fund costs to pay for their care.

“Why should a child’s disability stay with the state and can’t be used for that child. What makes that child different?” she said. “Why can’t that money be saved for that child to get a leg up when they age out of the foster care system?”

If Dawson Hayes, a Concord High School junior, received his Social Security payments while in foster care, he would have received just over $16,000.

“I was told by my caseworker that the money was kept to pay for the caring services I received,” he said. “ I have to say, I certainly did not receive an extra $16,000 worth of care and services. Foster kids need every advantage that we can get.”

Hayes, who will graduate early from high school in June, is an anomaly among typical trends of foster kids. He shared statistics with the committee that fewer than half of foster children graduate from high school, only three percent graduate from a four-year college, and nearly one in five foster kids experience homelessness upon aging out of the system.

“Most foster kids who age out, they have no resources and no way to keep a roof over their heads,” he said. “This money can mean the difference between being able to support yourself or ending up on welfare and food stamps for survival.”

The House Children and Family Law Committee – which overwhelmingly supported the bill 12-1 last session – will vote on the proposal in an executive session in early March. Then the bill will head to the Finance committee, before a vote on the House floor.